New public-health orders come into effect Oct. 5

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This article was published 02/10/2021 (1836 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

New public-health orders were announced Friday and will come into effect on Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. as the province grapples with rising COVID-19 cases.

As well, the province will move from Code Yellow to Orange.

The new public-health orders include the maximum outdoor gathering size dropping to 50. However, those new rules won’t affect the fully vaccinated, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said.

As the number of ICU patients continues to rise in the province, the concern is to protect the health-care system from being overwhelmed and people unable to receive the vaccine.

“The purpose of the orders is to disrupt the transmission chains,” Roussin said.

Schools will not move to orange and will remain open at the yellow caution level while individual schools can still move to remote learning as needed, Roussin said.

Nearly 400,000 Manitobans have not been vaccinated. Health Minister Audrey Gordon thanked those who have.

“To keep our children in schools, to not postpone medical procedures, to keep our friends, families, and neighbours safe, please — I’m begging you to get vaccinated,” she said.

The new rules zero in on events where unvaccinated people may be present, Roussin said.

Two household gatherings are permitted if anyone living at the residence or visiting has chosen not to get vaccinated.

Those who have chosen not to be vaccinated will only be allowed to gather in groups of 10 outdoors on private property. Indoor spaces are permitted to have 25 people or 25 per cent capacity, whichever is lower, for those who have chosen to not be vaccinated.

Capacity at indoor faith-based gatherings that don’t require proof of vaccination will have their capacity reduced to 25 people or 33 per cent capacity, whichever is greater.

If proof of vaccination is required, the current rules stay in effect with 50 per cent of capacity or 150 people, whichever is greater, Roussin said.

Unvaccinated people will also be restricted at weddings and funerals. Reduced capacity rules come into effect on Oct.12 as a grace period to comply.

In the Southern Health region, where COVID-19 cases are steadily rising, retail capacity was reduced by 50 per cent.

Data shows if the current trajectory continues, it could take less than three weeks for cases to double in that part of the province, Roussin said.

“That alone could place the province’s hospital system at risk,” he said.

Across the province, regardless of vaccination status, outdoor public gatherings are reduced to a maximum of 50 people.

Fully vaccinated residents remain relatively untouched by the new rules, although that could change if the health-care system becomes overwhelmed, Roussin said.

Manitoba is dealing with an increase in cases and related intensive care admissions among the unvaccinated and the health-care system remains at risk from the delta variant.

On Wednesday, 85 of 114 new cases were not immunized, he said.

“One hundred per cent of cases in ICU were not fully immunized. Today’s announcements are the consequence of that reality,” Roussin said.

“If you are waiting until the proof of vaccine requirement ends, you will be waiting for a long time.”

Currently, the province is already seeing about two new admissions to the ICU every day.

kielley@brandonsun.com